Brandon Routh has been cast in the lead role for the upcoming Netflix anime series based on Magic: The Gathering. Routh will be playing a character named Gideon, who is a heroic Planeswalker. Planeswalkers are amongst one of the most powerful beings in the Magic: The Gathering universe, which means Gideon will be taking the center stage in this story.
Technically, Routh is the first cast member to be announced, which might sound alarming at first. However, the publisher of Magic: The Gathering, Wizards of the Coast, wants fans to rest assured in knowing that everything is going according to plan. The company said that “the animated series is currently in full production: all scripts for the first season are written, recorded, and becoming real."
This series' script was completed after executive producer Jeff Klein took over, replacing Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame). Klein also recruited Steve Meleching (Star Wars The Clone Wars), who will be co-executive producing as well as story editing. The announcement of Routh's casting in Magic: The Gathering was made during Wizards of the Coast’s Magic Showcase 2021, in which the former Superman star noted that he's been a huge fan of the property since he was 16. "I love this world and I’m very excited to be part of this animated series," he said.
The team behind the show should make fans feel assured that they will be getting a high-quality Magic: The Gathering series. After all, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was received well by fans partly because it retconned a lot of the issues with the Star Wars prequel storyline and did well at animating the intricate fight scenes prevalent throughout the show. It had Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker at center stage while also giving a new protagonist the spotlight: Ahsoka Tano. It also did a good job of giving Mace Windu more attention as well as Stormtrooper Captain Rex, Yoda, General Grievous, and even Count Dooku.
Since that show performed well, it would seem likely that Magic: The Gathering will do the same. Since the Russo brothers were attached to it at one point, it seems that this had the potential if it was able to capture their eye. The universe of Magic: The Gathering has rich lore, plenty of characters, and numerous amounts of angles that they can take with the story.
It's understandable why fans are wary, especially since this series was green-lit all the way back in 2019 and it seems that it won't come out until late next year. Still, it seems they're taking it seriously since it was also announced that there will be a prequel novel to serve as a story that leads up to the Netflix series.
Magic: The Gathering is currently slated to premiere on Netflix in 2022.